Is anyone else finding it hard to even shower in the day?

Rachel - posted on 11/12/2009
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Cody takes a few naps during the day, but not usually longer than 30 minutes, which sounds much longer than it feels. I try to use my time wisely to do the dishes or to clean the bathroom, but when I do that I usually miss out on any possible time to shower. Any advice or similar stories??

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Heaven - posted on 03/29/2010

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Showertime is me time! Yes it is sometimes hard to do things when baby is awake and fussy. When my 5 month old is fed and changed, I take him and his bouncer into bathroom with me and put him in it. So while mommy gets showered and dressed he plays. If you set up the routine and do it at the same time every morning or night, they get use to it. If while you are in the shower shaving your legs, he starts crying, peek out around curtain and play peek a boo. Just because he is fussing, doesnt mean it is time for you to rush and get out. As long as his needs have been taken care of before hand, let him fuss. you can also do this while taking a nice hot bubble bath.

Well, it seems I have the same advice most others have...I have 4 children, and I have had them in the shower with me, in a bouncer or even their car seat buckled in on the bathroom floor, their crib, or their play pen. I have never let them play in the floor. I don't care how often and how much bleach I use in there, something about the bathroom floor is just nasty to me. When they were too big for any of the above, I made sure I had all the childproof things set in their room, and shut them in it. I have mastered taking a shower in less than 5 minutes. If it includes shaving, less than 10. lol Showers are no time to relax for me. :( With each new child came shorter showers because they were all at different developmental levels so I had to get quicker. Hope that helps!

what's a shower ? ...... LOL i have a 10 month old and a very tiny bathroom as i live in an apt so there's no way to bring her in there with me to play. i usually wait to night to have mine as her dad is off and it gives me like 15 - 20 mins of alone time.

it's funny when you single and have no babies you take the little things for granted !

taking a shower is soooooo AMAZING after a long day of taking care of a baby :)

This is how I feel, I never have time. I just got to shave everything after like three weeks of not shaving it was the best feeling in the world.

I would just leave her in the crib, you know she is safe there. And it wont hurt her to fuss a bit when your getting ready, at least she is somewhere safe. just poke your head in ever so often to make sure nothing is wrong... at least thats what i do

If i'm really hanging for a shower i'll take Lennox in with me. he's 7 months. even just sitting with him on the shower floor works ok....

But something that i find works really well - i brought a really cool toy that lights up and plays music, and my son loves it, but i keep it for a "special toy", he only gets it when i need to distract him long enough to get stuff done, and because he doesn't get to play with it all the time, it seems to work a treat. i just put him and this toy in his cot and he doesn't even notice i'm gone!

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Jade - posted on 03/29/2010

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I had this trouble too when my little boy was a baby. I ended up laying him on the mat of his changing mat, on the floor of the bathroom. I talked to him all throughout the shower and he was fine with it. (of course this was before he could crawl)

i put my babys bouncy chair in the bathroom with me the sound of the bathroom fan or shower puts her to sleep she takes her morning nap in there every morning even if i dont shower just keeps the routine so she wont cry when i shower

i would either take him and put him in the shower with you or if hes too small, put him in his carseat and sit him in the bathroom so that he can see you, i would always do that with my daughter, you can even take a bath that way.. get all your materials a bottle, passifer, toys, razor, shampoo etc. you get the point. but if you dont really use the car seat in your home you should start. My daughter would take naps in her seat sometimes because she slept longer while in it. hope it helps

i would either take him and put him in the shower with you or if hes too small, put him in his carseat and sit him in the bathroom so that he can see you, i would always do that with my daughter, you can even take a bath that way.. get all your materials a bottle, passifer, toys, razor, shampoo etc. you get the point. but if you dont really use the car seat in your home you should start. My daughter would take naps in her seat sometimes because she slept longer while in it. hope it helps

Look honey I have 2 kids one is 6 and the other is 15 months old I still have trouble getting a bath everyday especially during the day!! I say as soon as he passes out get your shower evean if you have to split up getting the pitts and legs shaved!!

Hahaha....I never get any time for a shower or even to brush my teeth....And when I do ahhh it is the best thing. My daughter only takes one nap a day...She is extremely attached as well....I used to bring Eliana in the bathroom with me...Like put the baby in a bouncer or the car seat...

Yeah I find it hard, so I now shower in the evening when my husband can look after Faith. Her naps can sometimes be really long but othertimes can be 10-20min long and I never know which way round its going to be!

Totally! No time to sleep, eat, take a shower, pee! If your baby will take to it a carrier is a good idea. Mine doesn't like them and she is too wreckless to leave sitting on her own. Even in the playpen I don't trust that she won't find a way to have a catastrophe so I RUN to the bathroom to have a pee. Glad to hear some moms are having the same problems. Some moms seem to have low maintenance babies. I can't even reply to someone who is talking to me because if I take my attention away from my little girl for a fraction of a second she will manage to injure herself. My baby sleeps very little and when she does all my time goes in expressing milk - she refuses to breastfeed. Things are starting to get easier now she's 13 months old - just a little :-) good luck!

When my son was younger i would put him in the swing, the jumper the saucer, or the playpen in the bathroom whichever he was more content in and take a quick shower. Then when he got older and can walk and stand up i would put him in the shower with me and let him play with his toys and with color soap and draw on the shower walls and stuff and then when i was finished i would put some bath water in the tub and let him play while i do my make up and then get us both dressed. It gets alittle easier as they get older..now what i do is if he doesnt need a bath i put on the little DVD TV player and his little chair in the bathroom and while i take a shower he watches a show, that way i can keep an eye on him too. Hope this helps alittle for you.

I think thats about normal. When my daughter was born I was overwhelmed because she would sleep 2 hours, eat, sleep 2 hours, eat. I thought that was tough. I now realize I simply was a "punk" LOL. Now she eats every 2 hours but she sleeps 30 min at a time when she does sleep and thats rare during the day. I long for the 2 hour naps again. But somehow you naturally manage. I wait till my daughter is in a good mood then I take her in the bathroom with me (keep the shower curtain opened a bit) and put her on her playmat. I have floor to wall mirrors in my bathroom (half is "bathroom" the other area is closet area) and that alone entertains her for about 30 minutes.

when my son was younger, i would just put him in the pack and play with a few toys and leave the door to the bathroom open so i could talk to him. then when he got older to sit in a chair, i put the chair with the toys that hang down in the bathroom with me so he could hear me better talking to him. now that he's older, he takes longer naps and i can shower without having to sing nursery rhymes the whole time :) you could also take them at night, or early in the morning before Cody wakes up, good luck!

since I am a stay at home mom, my daughter is 9 months and she does take 2 long naps, O just shower when shes sleeping or I put her in her bumbo chair and sit her in the bathroom with me with the door open and a few toys

ohhh yes..i don't even bother till my partner comes home hahaha well it's hard cause every baby sleeps differently but maybe his sleeping pattern will change & last longer...maybe shower first & then do the rest. i personally think it's not tragic if you do the dishes or so while he is awake. at least he will learn to understand,this way, that you sometimes just have to do certain things & will defiantly play with him later...i had one of them rocking chairs which i put in the kitchen (or wherever i was doing housework) so my girl could watch & now she understands that sometimes mummy just has to clean & then we'll play again... ;) good luck!!!

My daughter is 10 months, and unless I want to take her in the shower with me which is not that easyto do I have to wait until my husband gets home, relaxs, eats dinner then take a shower. Usually by that time she is down for the night an I am exhausted. Speaking from the same experience with my first one, once thery get older and can sit on the floor and play or in their playpen it will start to get easier.

My daughter is 9 months old, and I still have to get her dad or one of her grandparents (we're living with my parents right now) to watch her so I can get a shower. I've tried putting her in her walker in the bathroom while I shower and she just screams the whole time.

my daughter is 15 months and shes constantly getting into things. I dont have much down time but my mom and boyfriend help. i would wait til cody is ready for a nap to take a shower or some people even use the bouncy chairs and bring them into the bathroom with them, not peaceful or private but gets the job done. theres also tub chairs for babies that you can both go in at the same time.

I bring my son in the shower with me :) When he was very young I would just put him in his bath and put the bath in the shower at the far end away from the shower head. Then when he could sit on his own I would just put the plug in and let the tub fill up while I showered. Good luck :)

I'm so glad that i'm not the only one who does this. It was the only way that I could make time for her to get a bath and me to get a shower so that i could get to work and she could go to the sitter. It's so bad in the mornings that I have started keeping toothpaste, toothbrush, and deodarant in my desk at work in case I realize I forgot to do something before i left the house.

I dont no if this is already up (probably) but I just used to pop my lil fella in the bouncer on the bathroom floor. he loved the noise of the shower and quiete often would jsut nod off. I wish i had of started sitting him in the shower so he could get used to water on his face etc but our shower is too small. If he is to big for a bouncer I used to also use the stroller and give him something to munch on.

Riley sits in his bumbo with a few toys to play with just outside bathroom door while i have my shower every morn, its part of our routine now! he is more interested in watching me in the shower than anything else!

you've got to just take one of those times to take a shower, or just stink. :) I had that problem for a while, then some of my friends started coming over out of the blue, so I could take a shower. They are the sweetest. See if anyone can do that for you! Good luck!

you've got to just take one of those times to take a shower, or just stink. :) I had that problem for a while, then some of my friends started coming over out of the blue, so I could take a shower. They are the sweetest. See if anyone can do that for you! Good luck!

take him in the bathroom with you and just put him in a bouncer or swing or playpen and play peek a boo while your washing up .. that's what i did when my son was that age .. now he's 19 months old and showers with me .. not much fun on my part but at least i get one lol

i have the same problem. I have a 19 month old and 7 month old and they hardly ever take a nap at the same time. and when my 7 month old does is on about 30 mins also and i can't take my daughter (19 month old) in the bathroom with me because she goes thru my draws, or plays in the toilet, and she loves a bath so she would probably try to dive in head first. I just wait till everyone is asleep a take my shower and then sit in a warm tub of water and relax then i go to bed. it's my time to my self to destress from the day

Try to take some of that 30 mins to just be you. Cleaning the house really can wait, so can a shower if you need a few mins to read a magazine or watch tv for a few mins. I have a 2 1/2 yr old and and 1 1/2 yr old and those things are easier now, I drove myself into pretty severe depression trying to keep the house clean and the kids taken care of. I see now that I really needed to take more time for myself. I know it sounds cliche and I felt really guilty when I left my kids with hubby or grandma, but the truth is that I was worthless to my little girls as depressed as I was and I needed to be happy and healthy so that my babies could be happy and healthy. Just take some time for you, trust me, I know it feels like the hardest thing in the world to do when you have little ones.

I just put the bouncy seat in the bathroom and put her in there during her awake time while I showered and got ready. She loved looking at all the lights above the sink, seeing new surroundings and, then when she got older, playing with the toys in her seat. She's four months old now and I still get ready that way - she's always super happy in there, knowing I'm close by.

i go through the same thing w/ my son! when he is finally down i try to get my cleaning done, but once in awhile i will have an opportunity to shower in the morning b/c he slept in a little longer. if your son is only sleeping 30 mins at a time, try getting your chore list done in less time.... 5 mins for dishes, 5 for pick up, things like that, and aloow yourslef 10 mins. it may not be long, but 10 min in the shower is great in the morning!

I know how you feel. I have a 3 year old and a 3 month old and I sometimes forget when the last time I took a shower. lol. When I get a chance I take a shower while my 3 year is down for her nap and I put my 3 month old in his bouncy chair in the bathroom with me and as long as I talk to him he is happy. Good luck and just remember, unlike other things, this will get easier with time.

By the time my daughter naps (and she naps well--2hrs at a time), I am so tired or so busy, 'taking a shower' seems to be forgotten. I tend to take showers right after my daughter gets out of the bath. I take a bath with her and afterward, I have my husband get her ready for bed. I then take a quick shower. If he has to work late, I take my regular bath with her, but then let her crawl around in the bathroom while I take a shower. **Make sure you have a cabinet lock on any bathroom cabinets/lock on toilet and/or check on your little one often. (before she could sit on her own ~4mos--I would sit her in the Bumbo right next to the shower. I would give her a toy and she was content for 5 mins while I finished up.)

I know everyone has different routines, but the night-time showers right after my daughter takes a bath seem to fit best for me.

I hate that! the first couple months are just..ugh..i got tired of not being able to shower every day so now i just bring my baby in with me. don't really get to shave but hey...i'm clean! instead of worrying about the dishes, take a 10 minute shower. it'll do wonders for u. u can lay ur baby down to do the dishes for a few minutes. it won't hurt anything. it'll teach ur baby independence. never forget to make time for urself..somehow...

I have the same problem most of the time. My daughter is 18 months. I try and wait til my husband gets up(he works nights),so he can keep and eye on her but that doesn't always work. Most of the time I will put her in her playpen with some toys,and keep the door open so she knows I'm still there. That seems to work pretty good. You can try that if you have one,or bring her in the bathroom with some toys on the floor. That might work too. Hope this helps.

wait for him to fall asleep the put him in a bouncy seat on the bathroom floor!! that way you know if he starts to fuss. I do this with my daughter and one time she started to scream in the middle of my shower and i only got 1 leg shaved!!

totally feel u lol. i dont get a chance to take a shower during nap time because i want to get stuff done. or their naps happen to not be in sync with each other. i wait till bedtime then when they are all bathed and settled in bed i take a shower